The North Island's next generation of rugby league stars will battle it out in Rotorua this weekend.
The North Island Districts Tournament, at Puketawhero Park, comprises U13, U14, U15 and U17 teams from Gisborne Tairawhiti, Waikato, Coastline, Bay of Plenty, Northland, Taranaki and Manawatu.
There are 23 teams competing in
the annual tournament - the U14s will play on Saturday while the other age groups will play over Saturday and Sunday.
For players who dream of making it in the NRL, the tournament presents a great opportunity.
Broncos elite player development manager Simon Scanlan and skills and recruitment coach Mick Kennedy would be at Puketawhero keeping an eye out for emerging talent.
In 2015 Upper Central Zone Rugby League (UCZ) announced an NRL pathways partnership with the Broncos, aimed at providing more opportunities for its players.
Since then Broncos staff have travelled to the region on numerous occasions to deliver skill sessions and provide educational workshops for players, while also helping to identify potential talent destined for higher honours.
This will be the first time they have attended the tournament.
UCZ general manager Mel Bennett said it was great to have Broncos staff sharing their experience and knowledge.
"They will be here purely for selection and recruitment, but they are planning to spend time with volunteers at a dinner on Saturday night.
"It gives an informal opportunity to talk about pathways and opportunities."
Bennett said this would be the biggest tournament yet, and acknowledged the Bay of Plenty District Rugby League board and referees for their support in hosting the tournament.
"Manawatu, Taranaki and Northland are travelling from other districts.
"It hasn't blown out to this many teams before, last year we only had 16 teams participate.
"Manawatu and Gisborne are new, while both Taranaki and Northland have introduced a third team.
"It is exciting."
U13 teams will play a straight round robin with no finals.
U14 teams will play a round robin with first and second playing off in the final.
U15 and U17 teams will play a round robin followed by crossover games and finals.
Also up for grabs are representative spots at the NZRL National Youth Tournament in October.
"From our districts [Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Coastline, and Gisborne] we select the Wai-Coa-Bay side to represent the zone at youth nationals."
UCZ will select 30-man squads for the NZRL National Youth Tournament from each of the U15 and U17 grades.
The U14 wider squad will also be selected and play in organised fixtures later in the year.
Also taken into consideration for Wai-Coa-Bay teams are previous involvement with the Ruben Wiki Cup tournament and development programme earlier in the year, club league and secondary schools qualifiers.
This year organisers are encouraging spectators to be vocal but positive.
"It's usually packed with parents and family members. We're trying to take on board the 'Be a Sport' campaign which is about positive sideline behaviour.
"It's not the NRL, it's our rangatahi trying to do their best. Praising can only create a positive outcome. That's on the field as well as in the car and at home.
"We're trying to keep the venue smokefree as well."
